In administering certain medicines and pharmaceuticals, it is necessary to suspend a bottle or other package containing the pharmaceutical product from a hanger or like support. In particular, intravenously administered fluids are typically contained in a bottle which is suspended from an extended hanger to provide gravity induced flow of the fluid.
It is highly desirable that the container be conveniently and securely suspended. While various separate and detachable harnesses into which the container may be mounted have been used, such harnesses are relatively inconvenient as they require the step of placing the container in the harness or securing the harness about the container in addition to the step of mounting the harness on the hanger. Various other supports have been developed wherein a hanging loop is more or less permanently secured to the container with the hanging loop foldable between an extended position to receive the hanger and a closed position wherein the hanging loop is flat against the bottle. Typically, the hanging loop in the closed position lies adjacent the end of the bottle, often making the container unstable when placed on end. These designs are generally formed of shrink wrapped plastic or foil. As a result, they add considerable additional cost and weight to the overall packaging.
One alternative to the above disclosed hanging and labeling means is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,125 to Andel et al. The Andel reference discloses a label for identifying contents of intravenous feeding bottles having formed as an integral part thereof a hanging ring for suspending the bottle from an intravenous stand. The label is built up from at least one layer of film, a layer of printing ink, and a layer of adhesive. The handle is defined in the label by a pair of die cut lines that penetrate at least the one layer of film in the label. A release coating is applied between the layer of film in the bottle and a portion of the label defined by the handle to permit the handle to be peeled away from the bottle and the remaining portion of the label. As disclosed, the hanger is formed from a single layer of film, preferably polypropylene film.
Another label hanger is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,658 to Coward et al. Hang strips or tabs of the label may be formed of plastic material such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, and so on, or from high strength paper.
One problem commonly experienced with labels such as those disclosed in Andel et al. having film hangers for supporting IV bottles and the like is a tendency for the film of the hanger to tear. The films employed, typically polyester or polypropylene, are strong if there are no tears, nicks, or other imperfections therein and are able to support relatively large loads without requiring an inordinate film thickness. However, if such an imperfection is formed in the hanger or in the hanger attachment points, the properties of the polyester film will cause the imperfection to quickly propagate into a substantial tear when load is placed on the hanger. In practice, it is not uncommon for small cuts or nicks to be formed in the hanger film, particularly along the hanger periphery, during manufacture, handling or when in service. When the damaged hanger is used to support an IV bottle, for example, the small nick or tear becomes a larger tear and often a complete severance of the hanger. As a result, the bottle is allowed to fall from the support. In the hospital environment, such a catastrophic failure of the hanger may in fact be life threatening. The risk of failure is further aggravated in that failure may result from even small, unnoticeable defects in the film.
On the other hand, in IV hanger labels such as those described in Coward et al. using high density polyethylene, there is a tendency for the hanger film to stretch when the IV bottle is suspended therefrom, particularly under heavy loads. This stretching presents a particular problem because the IV bottle may end up too low, thus impeding proper gravity flow of the fluid.
Another problem experienced with hanger labels as described above is that the base portions underlying the hangers must be printed such that the indicia thereon is not covered by the hangers, which are typically opaque. In particular, high density polyethylene is normally opaque and therefore hangers formed of high density polyethylene, for example, as described in Coward et al., will hide any underlying copy. As a result, the layout or copy generally used on the labels must be redesigned to accommodate the hangers. In particular, it may be necessary to relocated a bar code so that it may be read by an electronic scanner.
Thus, there exists a need for a label for identifying and displaying information regarding an article which provides means for suspending the article. There exists a need for such a label which overcomes the drawbacks and deficiencies of the prior art. In particular, there exists a need for such a label which includes a hanger which is strong, stretch resistant, and tear resistant. The hanger should be transparent so that it does not hide indicia on other portions of the label. There exists a need for such a label which may be conveniently and cost effectively manufactured. Further, there exists a need for a method and apparatus for forming such labels.